A FEW KEY UPGRADES THAT CAN REALLY
PAY OFF
It’s time to stop thinking of Millennials as totally uninterested
in owning anything just because they were early adopters of Uber.
The newly released U.S. home ownership rate rose in 2018 for
the first time in 13 years—it now stands at 64.2 percent—driven
mainly by a shift toward owning over renting by the under-35
crowd who’d been wary of committing for both financial and
personal reasons.
“This is happening because young households are buying
homes,” Ralph McLaughlin, chief economist at home listings
provider Trulia, told the Wall Street Journal. They’re not the only
purchasers, of course. But if you’re looking to sell your house now
or in the not-too-distant future, you might want to check out this
generational roadmap of four upgrades experts say are worth it to
help attract potential buyers.
*Cross-generational: a new steel door. The only thing that
beat it on Remodeling magazine’s annual Cost vs. Value Report
was loose-fill attic insulation, but this project—with a 90.7 percent
return on investment—speaks directly to the report’s main
takeaway: “Curb appeal projects, by and large, generated higher
returns on investment than work done inside the home.”
Plus, as far as Millennials go, while their ideal interiors may
differ from older generations—for example, they prefer open floor
plans and hardwood floors—Architectural Digest says they’re still
into “traditional” exteriors.
*Millennials: Smart-home tech. Yes, there are Boomers and
Gen Xers who are super tech-savvy, but Millennials especially
crave homes that allow them to control their heating, air-
conditioning, home security, and lighting systems from their
phones. They want to use their brains for other things, not for
remembering whether they adjusted the heat or closed the garage
door.
*Cross-generational: A new roof. It’s the ultimate curb
appeal enhancer and buyers pay a premium for one already in
place. So if the first thing prospects notice looks like something
out of the movie “Twister,” you’ve got a problem.
*Millennials: All-new appliances. Realtors will tell you that
major kitchen (and bath) upgrades aren’t generally worth their
high costs, in terms of return on investment, since prospective
buyers’ tastes can clash with yours. However, Millennials love,
love, love all-new stainless steel appliances. So much so that what
RealtyTimes.com called “an astonishing majority of 75 percent” of
respondents in a recent survey chose to spend their hypothetical
home buying budgets on them.
DO-IT-YOURSELF LANDSCAPING THAT
DOESN’T LOOK IT
If you’ve ever attempted to transform your backyard into a
beautifully designed paradise, then you have probably planted,
trimmed and dug your way into a few minor frustrations along
the way. While good landscaping can vary by degrees including
budget, skills and climate, there are a few easy things you can do in
order to be proud of your landscaping without paying an expert.
The following tips will guide you on the right path to do-it-
yourself landscaping:
*Always layer your planting beds. Layering in three rows,
begin with your tallest plants in the back row, next tallest in the
middle and your shortest plants in the front. And don’t just plant
one bed—put another elsewhere in your yard to help provide a
sense of harmony.
*Calm your yard with water features. Providing focal
points in your landscaping work is a must, and one great way is to
incorporate water features such as ponds and simple waterfalls.
They both look appealing and add an attractive element to your
yard—the calming sounds of moving water.
*Utilize retaining walls. If you are planning on protecting
the fragile landscaping work around your home, it’s imperative
to construct a strong retaining wall. Erosion-prone areas in your
yard will benefit greatly by incorporating segmental retaining walls
constructed from concrete masonry. Using concrete masonry not
only provides the best value for the investment, it also delivers
superior design flexibility and aesthetic appeal to any landscape
idea.
*When planting flowers, go with annuals. To have a
continuous sense of color throughout your yard, plant annual
flowers alongside your favorite perennials. Research and lay out
creative flower combinations that make use of both kinds of
flowers for year-round beauty.
*Think year-round. One of the biggest mistakes one can
make is only providing one or two seasons’ worth of eye-catching
landscaping. Plan for having plentiful trees and shrubs during the
springtime, fall foliage during autumn months and good, visually
interesting plant life in the winter, such as holly shrubs or bayberry
bushes.
DECKED OUT
One of the most inexpensive ways to add living space to your
home is the addition of an outdoor deck or patio. Having a great
outdoor space is like adding an extra room to your house. It can be
enjoyed by the whole family, or experienced in quiet solitude as a
retreat to the Zen of outdoor living.
If you like to entertain, then an outdoor space is a must. Guests
can spill out onto the patio, extending your home to allow more
freedom for guests to mingle, both inside and out.
Though the words “patio” and “deck” are often used
interchangeably, there is a difference. A patio is generally
constructed of stone pavers, tile or a simple concrete foundation
that sits squarely on the ground. Decks are usually made of wood,
PVC (also called vinyl) or composite, which has wood content
that has been encapsulated in a PVC wrap. Decks can either be
ground level or elevated. When considering which option is best
for you, you’ll want to look at the costs and also which one works
well with the style of your home. The good news is that regardless
of the option you choose, you’ll get a positive return on your
investment, somewhere between 30% and 75%.
For a wood frame house, wooden, composite or PVC decks can
match the trim of your existing home. Since wood can be painted,
a wooden deck offers the most color options; however it will also
require frequent repainting. Both PVC and composite decks are
available in a wide range of earth tones to match your home’s style.
Vince Lorenzi, owner of Lorenzi Home Design Center, explains
that there are cost differences, but feels that PVC and composite
decks require less maintenance in the long run.
He says wooden decks will run about $2 to $3 per square foot.
These are attractive, but they do require more maintenance and
will have to be resealed every few years to give them maximum life.
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MCKEESPORT AREA
❘
SPRING 2019
15